Dear Brothers and Sisters,In our catechesis on the Fathers of the early Church, we now turn to Saint Cyprian. A convert from paganism, Cyprian became the Bishop of Carthage and guided the Church in Africa through the persecution of the Emperor Decius and its aftermath. He showed firmness and pastoral sensitivity in readmitting, after due penance, those Christians who had lapsed during the persecution, and he worked strenuously for the spiritual and moral renewal of the community. His many writings, closely linked to his ministry as Bishop, stress the unity of Christ’s Church, founded on Peter and most perfectly realized in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Cyprian is also known for his writings on prayer, and in particular his commentary on the Our Father. There he emphasizes both the public, communal nature of Christian prayer, and the importance of a personal "prayer of the heart". Cyprian’s devotion to the word of God and his love for the Church found supreme expression in his death as a martyr during the persecution of Valerian. May his example and teaching help us to draw nearer to the Lord in prayer and in the unity of his Body, the Church.
I am pleased to greet the officers and cadets from the New York Maritime College and the members of the European Ophthalmic Pathology Society. I am also happy to welcome the pilgrims who have travelled to Rome for the Canonizations last Sunday. May we all continue to be inspired by the lives of these saints. Upon all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, especially those from Finland, England, Scotland, New Zealand and the United States of America, I cordially invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace.
[00818-02.01] [Original text: English]
